Spirit Ruin, Sword Coffin, Blind Swordsman

Li Guanqi tapped the air with his finger, and black wisps rose from the man’s countless tiny meridians. Everyone else felt a chill run down their spines.

The flames curled out of his orifices and returned to Li Guanqi’s palm, where he extinguished them.

Yin Hellfire had strange properties, making it hard to defend against. That was why Li Guanqi dared to face three Illusory Refinement Realm cultivators alone.

Guo Xuelin looked at Li Guanqi and asked with some embarrassment, “Uh… Hey kid, do Old Zhao and I also…”

Li Guanqi smirked and waved him off. “Do I look like that kind of person?”

“You do,” Guo Xuelin replied without thinking.

Li Guanqi smiled and curled his finger. Flames curled out of Guo Xuelin and the hook-nosed man. The three could barely stay still—they hadn’t expected Li Guanqi to leave a bomb in their bodies during such a brief battle. Most importantly, none of them had noticed it at all.

He Yuning was shocked by the technique. He hadn’t expected Li Guanqi to have such a wealth of tricks up his sleeve. If he hadn’t stopped them, the ending would have been terrible.

After the discussion, He Yuning and Li Guanqi walked out together. Li Guanqi looked at him and said sincerely, “Thank you for this, Brother He.”

He Yuning waved him off and pursed his lips. “Even if I hadn’t come, I’m not sure you’d have lost.”Li Guanqi smiled without a word. His gratitude to He Yuning was real. They’d only met briefly, yet He Yuning had traveled a thousand li to stop the battle. It had been a long time since Li Guanqi had experienced such kindness from a stranger.

“Brother Li, do you have a place to stay?” He Yuning asked.

Li Guanqi shook his head. He thought for a moment, then said, “I’m planning to leave now. I can’t rest easy if that bastard’s still out there.”

“No way! Since you’re already here, you need to come to the Great Profound Sect! Besides, if Cang Lu appeared in Heavenly Cloud City, there’s likely something he wants here. If he hasn’t achieved his goal, surely he won’t leave easily. And even if he does, a few days’ delay is nothing, right? The Great Profound Sect is famous in the Central Prefecture, so we naturally have our own network of informants. It’ll be more convenient than working alone.”

Li Guanqi agreed. He couldn’t underestimate local factions. Perhaps he would find Cang Lu through them.

“In that case, I’ll accept your offer. Thank you for your invitation.”

He Yuning broke into a bright smile and dragged Li Guanqi out of Heavenly Cloud City. Along the way, Li Guanqi asked, “What’s the relationship between you and that old man?”

He Yuning smiled. “Elder Guo? He’s a ceremonial elder in our sect.”

“Uh… All right. Just a ceremonial elder?”

Li Guanqi didn’t know what to say, but He Yuning leaned close to his ear and said mysteriously, “The Great Profound Sword Sect is really strong, you know. In the whole Central Prefecture, we’re in the top three.”

Li Guanqi’s breath hitched. The Taiqing Territory wasn’t broken into several land masses like the Daxia Territory—it was one contiguous land mass.

Top three in the whole Central Prefecture! This was terrifying. He suspected they might have an ancient Mahayana Stage monster.

Soon, He Yuning brought Li Guanqi to the tallest mountain peak beneath Heavenly Cloud City. The magnificent mountain didn’t look special from afar, but up close it was imposing. Li Guanqi looked especially tiny standing before it.

They flew to the base of the mountain. He Yuning said awkwardly, “I’m sorry, the Great Profound Sword Sect has a sect rule that forbids everyone from flying up the mountain. We’ve got to walk.”

Li Guanqi thought it was interesting. They were all cultivators, yet they had to hike up and down the mountain like regular mortals. He waved and smiled. “It’s just a small matter. Don’t worry about it.”

They arrived at a stone staircase at the base of the mountain. Mist swirled around the quiet mountain, making the place look ethereal. Several other mountains surrounded this main peak, which made it seem like the head of a coiling dragon rising into the clouds.

The large staircase had all types of peculiar plants on both sides, many of them spirit herbs. Their fragrance filled the air, calming the mind.

Along the way up, Li Guanqi closed his eyes to feel the change in terrain. A gentle breeze blew on his face as mist swirled around the path. Occasionally, immortal cranes with parcels tied to them swooped past, adding to the otherworldly atmosphere.

Li Guanqi focused on the stone steps beneath his feet, sanded smooth by countless footsteps. His mind quieted, feeling detached from the world’s disturbances.

Feeling inspired, he smiled. “Climbing this mountain makes one worthy of becoming an immortal in the heavens.”

He opened his eyes and looked up at the peak, which extended beyond Heavenly Cloud City. “The Great Profound Sword Sect’s stone steps are great for cultivating the mind.”

He Yuning was surprised. He had needed his elders to teach him the meaning of climbing the steps. In contrast, Li Guanqi understood it after climbing just half of them.

“Brother Li, you really are a prodigy.”

Li Guanqi turned to him and grinned. “Brother He, you’re very good at flattering.”

He Yuning burst into laughter.

Along the way, they passed many disciples who also wore green robes and had swords on their backs. They stopped on their way down, bowing toward He Yuning in greeting and addressing him as Young Sect Master.

He Yuning saw the confusion in Li Guanqi’s eyes and explained, “I went down the mountain to train.”

Li Guanqi nodded, walking up the steps at a pace that was neither fast nor slow.

By the time they reached the sect entrance, the sun had almost set.

He stood before the towering entrance, over fifty zhang tall. He paused and gave a slight bow, then turned to face the stone steles flanking both sides.

The heart is the root of the Dao.

Conquer the world with your sword. Impart justice upon the immortal realm!

Fight our enemies together with a united heart!

Work hard on your cultivation, and never forget why you started.

Li Guanqi read the words aloud and asked, “Is this…”

He Yuning said proudly, “Those are the Great Profound Sword Sect’s sect rules!”

Li Guanqi smiled. “That’s good. That Great Profound Sword Sect has great character.”

He followed He Yuning to the sect’s plaza.